Hallucination 100

Run Woodstock 2017 - Hallucination 100 - Earn that W.S. ticket!

Earlier this summer, I encountered my first D.N.F. at Mohican 100.  I made it 85 miles before a total, epic collapse.  You can read more about it HERE.

Mohican 100 was supposed to be my Western States 100 qualifying race but since that didn't happen I was stuck with running Hallucination 100, again.  I have been in the lottery for 4 years and not been chosen.  I seriously considered giving up on that dream, but eventually decided to keep the dream alive.  If you don't qualify you go back to a zero ticket count.

The nice part about Hallucination 100 is that I had already finished it once before, you can read that report here------>Hallucination 100 race report.  It's only about an hour and a half drive from Battle Creek.  I have been part of this event since 2012 which was a huge advantage in terms of how familiar I was with the course and overall logistics of the race.  All I had to do was show up and run!

Once again, Peter and I were planning on running together as long as possible.  The race starts at 4 pm on Friday evening and consists of 6 loops.  The first 2 loops you are not allowed a pacer.  My awesome wife, Jess, was planning on pacing the 3rd loop.

After another strange yet very typical Woodstock national anthem, we took off.  The first loop was pretty uneventful besides almost losing Peter a couple of times.  We settled into a good pace and kept a close eye on hydration and energy intake (tailwind).  The small preventative measures that you make play out big time at the end of these races.  Simple things like changing socks and shoes and using Vaseline go a long way.  Chafing and blisters = disaster.

Feeling groovy, man!

Half-way through the 2nd loop we turned on our headlamps.  This is when we decided to start the 16/4 method.  Run 16 mins then 4 min walk break.  That equates to 3 walk breaks each hour.  We stuck with this plan up until the final couple of miles!  Peter and I were working well together but I was super excited to have Jess join the party!  As we turned the corner to finish loop 2, there was a gigantic full moon looming in the sky right above the aid station, campers, and tents.  I wish I had taken a picture, it was beautiful.  We started loop 3 around 10:30 pm.  Even though it was still fairly early in the race, it was very beneficial to have her with us.  Night time running can be very lonely and tricky so having multiple people to run with is important.

The weather was spectacular this year!  It did drop down to mid-30s but as long as you were prepared, it felt good.  I'd much rather be a little cold than too hot.  For the first time ever, there was no mud on the course.  Unheard of for this event.

We finished the 3rd loop, 50.5 miles in 10:30.  Jess could have ran another 8 miles but Peter's crew/pacer Chad Hause decided to join the fun for the 4th loop.  Plus she had to drive back to Battle Creek and take our 4 yr old daughter to her soccer game.  What a wife/mom!  From this point my friend Matt was going to crew and then pace for the 5th and 6th loop.  This race was very similar to my Kettle Moraine 100 experience.  I was extremely consistent throughout the entire race.  No big highs and no lows.  Chad joined us for loop 4 in the dark.  Giving the fact that Peter and I stayed together the whole time, we were able to use each other's pacers as our own which was beneficial.  Chad was running in The Barkley Fall Classic "50k" the next week otherwise he could have done more than one loop.  We finished loop 4 just as the sun was rising, what a welcome sight!

Loops 5 and 6 were just about getting the job done by putting one foot in front of the other.  Peter was in front of me 99% of the race.  I watched his feet hit the ground over 100,000 times!  It naturally worked better that way.  During the 5th loop I started to do some math in terms of finishing time and under 24 was a definite possibility and under 23 seemed somewhat possible.  The finish line was getting closer as the sun was starting to shine.  5th loop went very fast and then we took off on what I call the "farewell tour".  The last loop is awesome because you're seeing every tree root, hill, dirt road, etc. for the last time.  I applaud Matt for trying to pace for 2 loops, which is technically like running an ultra marathon.  He hadn't done hardly any running after Mohican so he started to feel it a bit halfway through the last loop.  Luckily my wife had made it back and was able to take him in the car back to watch us finish.  Peter and I were doing really well and were starting to put together a strong finish.

Under 23 hours was a very strong possibility, we decided to keep moving quickly but agreed not to do anything dumb that would jeopardize finishing.  Soon enough we came upon the campground and seeing the finish line of a 100 mile race is about the best sight ever.  Especially when your family is there waiting for you.  So very thankful to have ran with Peter the entire race.  Official time was 22:12:16, 17th overall out of 164 and 1st in age group.

Approximate Loop running times
1 - 2:53
2 - 3:28
3 - 4:00
4 - 4:17
5 - 3:45
6 - 3:43

101 miles
22 hrs 12 mins 16 secs

Peter and I at the finish, thanks again buddy!

My two girls

Key Takeaways
- put negative thoughts aside, quickly
- break up the race into smaller portions such as aid station to aid station
-16/4 run/walk strategy
-beneficial to have someone to run with

Gear and Nutrition info
injinji socks
nike terra kiger shoes
buff
tailwind - lemon
about 20 pretzels
carried 2 bottles, 1 handheld and the other tucked into shorts
garmin 630
vaseline
body glide


Pictures: Matt Shaver, Jess Polnasek, Nancy Polnasek

Mohican 100 DNF

Mohican 100 Mile Trail Race - June 17th, 2017

General race details

The Mohican 100 mile trail run is located within the Mohican State Forest in Loudonville, OH about 45 mins north of Columbus.  The race is almost entirely on single-track trails which consists of 4 loops.  The first 2 loops are 27 miles each and the last 2 are 23 miles long.  There are 5 aid stations total including the start/finish area.  The Mohican 100 is one of the oldest ultra races as this was the 28th year.

Pre-race happenings and thoughts

I was lucky enough to have my Dad, Mark Robillard, and Matt Shaver as my pacers and crew members.  Mark and I drove down Friday straight to packet-pickup around 3pm.  We parked across the street from the pavillion and right as I stepped out of the car I noticed how extremely hot it was.  I  don't sweat very easily but began right away.  We went to packet-pickup, took some pictures, and left a drop bag for the Covered Bridge aid station.  I had planned on meeting up with some of the other runners and socializing but I wanted to get out of the heat and limit my exposure.  We stayed at a hotel in Ashland which was about half an hour away.  It was nice to get into the air conditioning to relax and get gear organized for race day.  3:15 a.m. came early as we woke up and drove down to the start.  My dad had driven through the night and met up with us at the hotel to follow us.      

The Race Itself

Through the last couple of years I have learned to calm my mind before the start of a race.  I simply do not allow my mind to think and worry about the fact that I will be running for the next 22-30 hours.  I undermine the situation and take a low-key approach at the beginning which helps ease the anxiety and nerves.  Soon enough the race started in a very mellow fashion.  Coming into the race I knew that I wanted to run with my friend Peter who I ran with for 50 miles at Kettle Moraine 100 (race report here) last year.  I knew that we were capable of keeping each other company for as long as possible.  Once we hit the trail it was an immediate climb up to the top of the bluff.  We settled into a comfortable pace by walking most of the uphills and controlling ourselves on the descents.  Both of us noticed that we were already sweating heavily which is concerning at 5 am this early in a race.

The first loop went fairly well as Peter and I continued to run together.  Peter did mention a headache a couple times but we continued on hoping that it would go away.  The best scenic feature of this race is the waterfall that seemingly pops up out of nowhere.  Very surprising geographic feature for Ohio.  I love having the opportunity to explore new trails.  The 1st loop was very enjoyable and we finished in about 5 hrs 30 mins.  Peter's headache hadn't gone away and he had only peed I think once since the start of the race even though he was taking in tons of fluids.  A couple miles after the first loop Peter was starting to slow down quite a bit and the headache hadn't gone away.  He decided to take a walk break and I continued on.  I saw his pacer/crew Chad Hause at the next aid station and told him we had separated.  Peter ended up dropping around 31 miles.  Took him 10 hours until he was able to pee!!  Very smart decision to call it a day.


At some point during the 1st loop, Chad mentioned that the dew point was in the 70 range.  I knew it was super hot and I was sweating a ton but I didn't give it much thought at the time.  Dew point refers to the amount of moisture that is in the air.  The higher the dew point the higher levels of air saturation.  Basically since the air was already saturated with moisture, my sweat had nowhere to go.  Obviously the entire purpose of sweating is to cool the body down...that ability is what makes us extremely efficient and able to run these long distances.

Chart from Wikipedia

Dew point		Human perception[6]	Relative humidity at 32 °C (90 °F)
Over 26 °C	Over 80 °F	Severely high, even deadly for asthma related illnesses	73% and higher
24–26 °C	75–80 °F	Extremely uncomfortable, fairly oppressive	62–72%
21–24 °C	70–74 °F	Very humid, quite uncomfortable	52–61%
18–21 °C	65–69 °F	Somewhat uncomfortable for most people at upper edge	44–51%
16–18 °C	60–64 °F	OK for most, but all perceive the humidity at upper edge	37–43%
13–16 °C	55–59 °F	Comfortable	31–36%
10–12 °C	50–54 °F	Very comfortable	26–30%
Under 10 °C	Under 50 °F	A bit dry for some	25% and lower

Nevertheless, I continued on by myself for the majority of the 2nd loop.  Despite the temperature I was actually feeling really good.  Around mile 40 I specifically remember feeling AMAZING.  I was listening to music and just on cruise control.  I could have busted out a 5-6 min mile easily.  I did my best to control myself and not get caught up in my current energized state.  After loop 2 I was able to run with my buddy Matt for the 3rd loop (23 miles).  It took me 11:45 to run the first 54 miles.  I was well under 24 hr pace and feeling great.

My Dad and I after loop 2.

Having company during these races is always welcoming.  Matt and I had an awesome conversation and everything was going very well as I continued to pass other runners who were struggling.


All of a sudden around mile 70 I noticed my skin itching and a rash beginning on both armpits and the "nether regions".  It was extremely itchy like poison ivy and raised.  We made it to the aid station before the start/finish and asked a volunteer what it could possibly be.  I put some ivy rash lotion on it to see if that would help.  No one really knew what it was and so instead of just sitting around we took off for the last section of loop 3 with headlamps now on.  I was still moving fairly well but the rash was really uncomfortable and it was continuing to spread.

We continued to move and during the last mile or so of the loop there is a long, uphill dirt road that we walked up.  Once we made it to the top I felt extremely light-headed and dizzy.  I knew right then and there that something was not right.  I sat down on the side of the road attempting to gather myself.  At that point the rash had spread basically everywhere, we had no idea what caused it.  We eventually made it to the aid station at the end of the 3rd loop.  This is where reality started to set in.  I still had 23 miles to go.  It was an absolute mess at the aid station because everyone wanted to analyze my rash and no one really knew what it was.  The volunteer medical doctor was insisting that I drop from the race which I wanted no part of!

I played football all the way from 5th grade through college and I had NEVER seen my Dad, who is a college football coach, so concerned about my well-being.  My freshmen year of college I was thrown around like a rag doll every day during practice by guys twice my size, yet this was more concerning!  More attention started to come my way and I was slowly losing hope of finishing.  No matter how bad I was feeling, I had to get out of there and keep moving.  

My good friend Mark was ready to pace me for the last loop.  I somehow convinced my Dad and the people at the aid station to let me leave for the last loop.  I felt a little bit better for first mile or so with Mark.  But then I kept getting very dizzy, light-headed, and weak every time we had to walk uphill (which was a lot).  Usually after going up a hill it takes a couple of seconds to re-gain your breath and heart rate, but my body was not able to do so.

It came to a point where the only thing that seemed to help was laying down on the trail on my back and focusing on breathing/sleeping.  I just wanted a couple minutes (the funny part is that Mark was not wearing a watch, so who knows how long it actually was).  Mark said he was starting to freak out a bit because he didn't know if I was still conscious each time I did it.  We got to the next aid station which was only about 3 miles away and I just wanted to get out of there quickly.  It was about 5 miles to the next aid station so Mark and I didn't waste any time and kept moving.  This last stretch to the next aid station was brutal.  I have no idea how long it took but it seemed like forever.  I am someone who internalizes issues and problems, so Mark wasn't fully aware of how bad I felt.  I couldn't run and could barely walk.  We eventually stumbled into the next aid station where I decided to lay down on a cot to somehow gather myself.  At this point I was shivering uncontrollably, dizzy, light-headed, and itchy from the rash.  My Dad kept ice on me the whole time but it didn't help much.  My body was burning up and I was experiencing heat exhaustion and close to heat stroke.

I know my body extremely well through training and doing these types of races.  I had only experienced these types of symptoms once before, during a 100 degree baseball tournament in Colorado in middle school.  I stayed on that cot for at least an hour and a half hoping that I could make a comeback and the symptoms would go away, but it kept getting worse.  I only had 15 miles left but I could barely walk and I had to decide to drop out.

Even in hindsight, I'm really glad that I did.  I honestly don't think there was anything that I could have done at that point in the race.  It was extremely disappointing and I had a tough time dealing with the fact that I had to stop at mile 85.  I had a strong mental attitude, great physical shape, no stomach problems, no blisters, etc.  Congrats to all of those who were able to finish that race.  76 finishers out of 183 total runners = 41% finishing rate.  Overall, I was able to learn a lot about myself from this race.  I pushed myself pretty close to my limits on that particular day.  Mohican 1, Me 0.

Peace out

Training Reflections/Thoughts
-Cold showers / baths after longer or intense runs
-Turmeric and Ginger root every day
-No alcohol for 8 weeks
-Specific workouts for: intensity, hills, trail, road, night, eating/not eating
-Best physical shape ever been in for a race
-Best mental attitude during the race
-Excellent hydration management




*Picture credits: Matt Shaver and Mark Robillard

Mark

Matt

One of the only "open and exposed" sections of the race

Gear and Nutrition info
injinji socks
nike terra kiger shoes
buff
tailwind - lemon
carried 2 bottles, 1 handheld and the other tucked into shorts
garmin 630
vaseline
body glide

My first Pacing Experience

This past June I finished my 3rd 100 mile race at the Kettle Moraine 100 in Wisconsin.  I had two friends crew and pace me during that race and when I heard they were both taking on distance PRs at the same event I thought it would be perfect to pay back the pacing duties.  I have been running for over 4 years and I had never paced anyone.

Run Woodstock is an event that is very special to me, my first 100 mile finish the Hallucination 100.  I have ran a race at Woodstock each year for the last 4 years.  This year I would take a step back from racing and be a "pacer" for my friend Mark who ran the 100 miler and my other friend Matt who ran the 50 mile race.  The 100 mile race consists of 6 loops of 16.6 miles each and the 50 mile consists of 3 loops.  The plan was for me to run the 3rd loop with Mark and the 3rd and last loop with Matt.

Friday evening I met up with Matt at the Pinckney State Park campgrounds to set up his pop-up camper.  By the time we arrived at the start/finish for packet pick-up, Mark had already gone through the start/finish area and was on his 2nd loop.  We went back over to the campground and caught up on life.  Matt soon fell asleep and I found myself laughing as I was setting my alarm for 10:35 PM!  I attempted to sleep for about 40 mins before having to run with Mark but all I could do was toss and turn.  I took off to the start/finish area to wait for Mark.  

He finished his 2nd loop around 11:20 and didn't waste much time at the aid station and quickly left to start loop 3.  Everything was going well and we quickly started conversing.  For about the first hour or two the weather was almost perfect then of course it started raining.  It seems that every single year it rains at this event.  During my first attempt at the 100 mile distance four years ago, it rained the entire night and the trail was an absolute disaster.  This year it started out just sprinkling for about an hour and then became increasingly heavier.  Mark and I were carefully tip toeing around puddles at an attempt to keep our feet as dry as possible.  Eventually by the end of the loop my shoes were so soaked it didn't matter at all to avoid puddles/mud.  With about 30 minutes left in the last section we came upon a runner who's light was malfunctioning so without a thought we decided to have him basically run in the middle of us so he could somewhat see where he was stepping.  The same exact scenario happened when my wife was pacing me two years ago, same location on the trail, same conditions, same distance.  It was total deja vu.  We finished the loop in about 4 hrs and 10 mins.  Mark had another pacer, Tim, lined up and ready to go for the 4th loop.  After they took off I put my rain poncho on and walked to my car and slept for an hour until my buddy Matt arrived for his 50 mile race at 6 am.

A sign of time well spent

Slop Fest

When Matt arrived I went over to check and make sure he was all ready to go, this would be his longest distance race by 16 miles.  After I watched him start I went to my car and drove to the camper and slept for about 5 hours.  It was a strange feeling setting my alarm for 10 am because I haven't slept in past 8 am in probably about four years!  I woke up, got some coffee and a doughnut, and went over to get ready to run with him on his final loop.

Over the years I have been able to meet some absolutely amazing people through this close-knit trail running community.  It seems like every race I go to I am able to recognize multiple people and have great conversations with them.  

I was a little concerned since I haven't been running as much that I would be too sore and not able to run as well with Matt but I was pleasantly surprised that my body felt completely normal.  He soon came in from his 2nd loop and wasted no time heading out on the trail.  Luckily the rain had stopped basically once the sun came up so that meant the trails were starting to dry off somewhat.  Nothing too dramatic happened during Matt's race besides a whole bunch of mosquitoes.  He stayed fairly consistent and didn't reach very many low points which is always nice during any ultramarathon.  From my point of view, the loop went pretty quick and before I knew it we were on the last stretch of trail.  Matt powered up the last hill and literally took off on a sprint towards the finish line, so inspiring to see.


Mark ended up finishing the 100 miler in just over 24 hours and Matt finished in just over 11 hours, life-changing accomplishments!

Mark and I

Matt and I

My key takeaways from being a pacer

1.  The theory of relativity is directly connected with running.  I felt no fatigue and had no thoughts of injury or being tired during the entire time I was running (8+ hrs).  If I was the one running the race or if I was out by myself doing the exact same distance and time, I guarantee I would have had a more difficult time at least mentally completing the run.  But since I was essentially there for reassurance and company, my mind never went to a dark place.  Also, I knew that they were in greater pain than I was!

2.  When the rain really started to come down during the middle of the night and our shoes and socks were soaking wet, Mark's attitude and demeanor stayed EXACTLY the same.  We actually kind of just laughed and shrugged it off.  We cannot change what happens to us but we can change how we respond and choose to deal with it and that is what makes the difference whether good or bad.

3.  The running community is awesome.  I was more able to notice the people involved in the event from the volunteers to the runners.  People are so nice even when they are in excruciating pain!  Even when we passed other runners they gave us a thumbs up or said something positive.

Mandatory dip in the lake after 2 days of rain, mud, running, and bug spray

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it!  

Kettle Moraine 100

Kettle Moraine 100 Mile Run - Saturday, June 4th, 2016

The Kettle Moraine 100 is a trail ultramarathon located near the "town" of LaGrange, WI.  It starts at the Nordic Ski Area which is basically out in the middle of nowhere.  The race is entirely on trails except some road crossings.  The course is 2 out-n-back sections, the first out-n-back is 31 miles one way then 31 miles back to the Start/Finish area.  You are then sent out on a 38 mile out-n-back in a different direction.  I chose this race because it is somewhat close to Michigan and it is also a Western States 100 qualifier.

The race starts at 6 am which is actually later than most other 100 mile races.  The later start time and the time zone change from Eastern to Central was extremely beneficial to me because I was able to go to bed earlier.  My wife and I have two beautiful girls.  Having a 3 year old and a 3 month old this was the first night in the past three months where I slept entirely through the night without waking up!  With that being said, I arrived to the start line refreshed and ready to go.

My "A" goal was to finish under 24 hours and if not then at least just finish so that I can qualify for my 4th consecutive year for the Western States 100 race.  I wanted to run with Peter and Lewis, two fellow Michigan ultra runners, for a little while just to have some company and I knew they would be close to my pace.  I had run with Peter on two previous occasions and felt comfortable sticking with him.  In these 100 mile races, you have to be conservative at the start and keep your heart rate at a reasonable level otherwise you will pay dearly for it in the last 20-30 miles.

Lewis and I cruising along

The most challenging part of this course are two sections of 6 miles each where there is no shade cover and the runners are completely exposed to the sun.  This section is from miles 18-24 and then 39-45.  The exposed conditions started to take a toll on Lewis especially and I also found myself getting light headed and dizzy.  We were following a "run 25 min and walk 5 min" schedule which worked out well but it seemed that our walk breaks were timing up very badly with the conditions of the course.  We would run for 25 minutes in the hot, exposed sun and then our walk break would be in the shade or on an uphill which we would be walking anyway...not ideal.  We were still able to make it to mile 50 in exactly 10 hours.  

Sometime after mile 50 Lewis was struggling and Peter decided to stay back with him.  They are attempting to complete the Midwest Grand Slam this year, which consists of five 100 mile races all within about 2 or 3 months.  Kudos to them!  After I took off I felt a little bit of loneliness because for the first time in 10+ hours, I was actually all by myself.  I was quickly able to focus on positive thoughts and put things into perspective.  I was only going to be running by myself for another hour or two before meeting up with my first pacer, Mark, at mile 62.  I started a follow a run 12 and walk 3 plan which was working out nicely.  I continued this plan when I picked up my first pacer for about the first hour or two until it started to get dark out.  Once it became dark around 8:30 it was difficult to anticipate the hills so we just started running everything we could besides the uphills.  I couldn't help but laugh to myself as our conversation was somewhat one-sided.  He was doing all of the talking and here and there I would mutter a couple words back.  He did a great job of keeping my mind off of the pain and negative thoughts during our time together.  Soon enough we made it to mile 81 where my other pacer/crew member Matt would switch duties with Mark.  I was so thankful to have these two buddies at my side crewing and pacing me...it makes an enormous difference being able to have support in these endeavors.

Matt and I took off wasting no time.  Matt was my pacer during the Burning River 100 (race report here) last summer, needless to say we were both on the struggle bus and literally walked the last 10 miles.  This year was redemption and time to turn things around in a positive way!  We were still running most of the time except the uphills which was very encouraging this late in the race.  There are two specific moments I remember from my time with Matt.  I have always wanted to see/hear an owl in the wild.  It may not seem like a big deal to others but for some reason it is interesting to me.  We were able to hear an owl calling out which was awesome.  It was very close but I looked around and could not see it.  As we continued running I could still hear it after 10+ minutes.

The other moment came after we passed somebody and a couple minutes later we came to what was called "confusion point".  This point of the course splits off in multiple directions and we followed what the sign said but after a couple minutes after the turn I was paranoid so I had Matt run back and check to see if the person we passed made the same turn we did.  He shut off his headlamp so the runner wouldn't be able to see him and booked it!  As I was waiting for him to return back I turned off my headlamp and just stood there.  It was a surreal moment in which I will never forget.  There I was in the middle of the woods in Wisconsin, running 100 miles, staring at the star-filled sky in the pitch dark.  I took that time to soak in the moment and simply just be.  So often times in the day to day life, we become so occupied that we lose track of ourselves and our surroundings.  These 100 mile races strip me down to the absolute core, like peeling an onion layer after layer until there is nothing left.  My concerns, worries, and existence becomes so simplified that it is difficult to put into words.  By experiencing this I am better able to appreciate the smaller things in life, the comforts, and my family.  It simply makes me a better person.

Matt and I continued to run and push ourselves to the finish line.  I started to do the math in my head and I was definitely going to be under 24 hours unless I somehow injured myself.  We made it to the last aid station and it was 4.8 miles to the finish.  I had an hour and a half to make it under 23 hours!  We did our best to run everything except the big hills and continued forward towards the finish.  It was still dark our so we had no idea where we were.  Suddenly we saw someone with a headlamp looking at us, not running so we knew the finish was close.  The clock and finish line came into view and I darted towards the finish for a personal best time of 22 hours and 26 mins!  Good for 19th overall out of 133 finishers.  My race was finally done and I had accomplished a personal best by 3 hours and I now have my Western States qualifier.

Overall this race went extremely well.  I was able to squash any negative thoughts that were trying to enter my mind.  My physical body was sore but nothing out of the ordinary for this distance.  I didn't experience very many low points which is rare.  The weather cooperated as it was mid 70s most of the day and only rained a couple of times but not very much.

Pumped up at the finish line

What did I eat/drink?

I used a product called Tailwind for the majority of my calories, which was absolutely amazing!  It is powder that you mix into water for liquid goodness.  Each Ziploc baggie that I carried had 400 calories.  So each bag was good for 2 hours as I tried to consume at least 200 calories an hour which included 75 g of carbohydrate (the body can process anywhere between 60-90 g of carbohydrate per hour).  I carried one handheld water bottle and one I tucked into my waistband.    

Other than Tailwind, I ate a couple slices of watermelon, 6-8 pieces of boiled potatoes, 5-6 pretzels, and 2 Powerbar gels.

I didn't have any caffeine the entire race.

What I did differently this time around...

• rolled using a tool called "the stick" after every run
• ran in race specific conditions - lots of trail miles
• incorporated higher intensity runs 1-2 times a week
• ran as many hills as possible during training
• longer runs on the weekends
• no alcohol entire month before race day
• started tapering 2-3 weeks out
• used Tailwind as my nutrition source

Gear list

• Nike Terra Kiger 3 shoes
• Buff Headwear
• SPI belt
• Under Armour shorts and shirt
• Body Glide
• North Face Hat - Flight Series
• Garmin Forerunner 220
• Nathan Handheld water bottle
• Amphipod water bottle
• Injinji toe socks
• Diamond headlamp 
• Oakley Split Jacket Sunglasses

Peter, Lewis, and I around mile 31

Copper Kettle Finisher's award

Matt and Mark - my professional crew and pacers
       

Run Woodstock Freak 50K

Run Woodstock is an extraordinary event in the beginning of September in Pinckney State Park.  This was my 4th year attending the event.  My memories from this place cover the entire spectrum of my emotional being.  The worst was when I attempted to run 100 miles in 2011, it was a total disaster.  I was completely unprepared and it rained the entire night non-stop.  The best emotion here was when I eventually completed my first 100 mile race last year in 2013.  

In July I completed the Burning River 100 mile endurance run so I decided to run the Freak 50K this year.  My buddy, Matt Shaver, who paced me at BR was also signed up to run in the 50K.  We decided to camp out the night before instead of having to wake up at 3 AM to drive to the race.  We camped out in style in his newly acquired pop up RV.      

This was not a competitive race, rather a race to complete and have some fun with.  The only interesting thing that happened was about 5 miles in it felt as if my nose was running so I wiped it with my shirt and I just so happened to have a bloody nose!  For the next 15 miles it was bleeding, not the best situation for an ultra marathon!  Matt and I ran together for the first 20 miles and then parted ways.  It was so nice to run a race with someone for the first half in a controlled and somewhat organized pace.  I felt absolutely amazing the last 11 miles of the race simply because I had left enough in the tank for the finish.  My goal was around 5 hours and I finished in 5 hours and 39 seconds for a 5th place finish overall and 2nd in age group.  

My Mom had been one of my biggest supporters throughout this entire running adventure, even though sometimes she rather I'd not run 100 miles!  

Burning River 100 Mile Endurance Run

Leading up to the Race

The biggest reason I selected this race is because it is a Western States 100 qualifying race.  I have already qualified for the WS lottery the last 2 years and no luck so far.  The Burning River 100 will be my 3rd time entering the lottery which gives me a better chance of being selected.  Last year I ran in the Run Woodstock hundred mile race called the Hallucination 100 (race report here)....so I wanted to mix it up and see what Ohio had to offer!

My training going into the race was a little bit above average, my highest week in terms of mileage was just above 70.  I put in a ton of high quality miles but not necessarily a high quantity (Strava data here).  My main goal was literally just to finish this race.  

Friday afternoon I picked up my Bib #180 and headed to the hotel about 10 minutes away.  Shortly after I was able to see my wife, mother-in-law, and daughter Kinley before heading off to bed.  I felt pretty ridiculous calling the front desk and asking for a wake-up call for 1:30 am....hahah.  Time to try and get some sleep.

Race Day

1:30 am came fast as all three alarms went off....race day is finally here!  I grab my stuff, head downstairs and take some coffee to go (who knows how fresh of coffee that was?!) and drive to the finish line to take the provided shuttle bus up to the starting line.  There is quiet conversation and an ever growing buzz in the anticipation for the journey ahead.  My local running friend named, Scott VanLoo, just so happened to be on the same bus....we said hi and engaged in some small talk, little did we know we'd be running the first 20 plus miles together.

The bus comes to a halt and we all meander off the bus and walk up to the starting area at Squires Castle.  It's super dark and everyone is slowly walking around and sitting down with their headlamps on doing last minute thinking and gear adjustments.  With 5 minutes to go before the start of the race, the national anthem was performed by a solo lady singer...it was spectacular.  Imagine hundreds of people standing in an open grass area in the pitch dark next to a castle in the middle of Ohio listening in dead silence to the National Anthem.  I will never forget that moment just before the race where everything was calm yet electrifying with emotion and anticipation.

The race started at 4 am and I soon found myself running right behind my friend Scott.  I knew the race started out with a large stretch of road, so I wanted to get into a comfortable pace.  Scott and I were running at the same pace and it was nice being with someone who I was familiar with.  The first 20+ miles were actually very easy and refreshing.

Photo Credit: Pat Dooley's Race Photography
Oak Grove Aid Station early on in the race.

My crew consisted of my wife, mother-in-law, and 2 year old daughter.  Since Scott and I were running a little faster than expected, we actually missed them at the first aid station around mile 20.  Thank goodness I was able to use Scott's phone and give her a call to let them know where we were at.  I actually didn't end up seeing them until about mile 30 which was totally fine.  In these large races you have to break the race up into smaller sections in your head.  The first 31 miles were with Scott, the next 30ish I would be seeing my crew/family, and the last 35 miles would be with my pacer, Matt Shaver.

The trails and scenery of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park did not disappoint.  It was an extremely beautiful area of Ohio that I did not know existed.  Runner's World listed the park in a recent article of best national parks for running (link here --> Runner's World Article).  Fast forward to around mile 53, wow, the heat was really starting to take a toll on my overall well-being.  Running in low to mid 90s is absolutely ridiculous with humidity...but I tried to be smart about taking in lots of water and walking when necessary especially when in direct sunlight.       

Photo Credit: Jess Polnasek
Around mile 53

Miles 53-65 were the toughest and most grueling of the race.  There were a couple stretches of road where I was completely alone and it seemed like time was standing still.  It was endless and torturous and my will was being smashed into a million pieces.  Negative thoughts entered my mind like "I still have 35-40 miles left...that is at least another 10-14 hours...my body hates me...I haven't been able to eat anything in like 4 hours"...etc.  I was having a giant pity party and I knew better but just could not help it.  I finally rolled into the aid station at 65 miles in a very emotional state.  It took everything I had to not completely lose it and start crying.  It was a huge boost having my pacer, Matt, join me at this point of the race.  This was the last time I would see my crew/family until the finish so I made sure to express my gratitude for their unbelievable help.

The next and last 35 miles were just plain hard.  The terrain had become more technical and difficult and the sun was starting to set.  Mission Get to the Finish Line, was in effect by any means necessary.  I was no longer thriving in this situation but more like surviving.  At night time, things get freaky especially when you have been running all day.  I highly suggest running during the night at some point if you haven't done so already.  It is unbelievably refreshing and allows you to be put in a totally different atmosphere.  Matt and I were cracking up at the fact that we were just 2 dudes pulling an all nighter by running through the woods.  Around mile 80 we couldn't help but laugh about the fact that we were running alongside a giant cornfield....why are we doing this again?!  

The miles were blending together and our objective was to make it to the next aid station.  I was having a lot of difficulty eating and drinking, if I did eat my stomach felt nauseous and if I didn't eat then I became light headed and dizzy and drinking anything was unbearable.  The last 3 hours of the race I ate absolutely nothing and took tiny sips of water....I was literally using my body fat as energy.  Fast forward to mile 90, somewhere in between 3 and 4 am.  We would pick out a light post or the end of a fence or a tree and try to "run" to it.  It was so painful and excruciating to run but we tried to fit it in as much as possible.  The sleep deprivation was having an effect as we were hallucinating pretty bad all the way up until the last quarter mile or so.  Interesting how the mind perceives things when you're not in a normal state.  The last 2 or 3 miles were almost all uphill but no worries because I was about to finish my second 100 mile race!  We were in the downtown area and took a final turn and there was the last stretch to the finish.  I had no desire to run at all across the finish line so I held my daughter and we finished together.  It was a huge relief and I took great comfort in knowing that I had finished, SUCCESS!

Thanks for reading, stay tuned for my next race in early September at the Run Woodstock races in Pinckney, MI.   
 

Exhausted and thrilled to be done
Photo Credit: Jess Polnasek 

Matt and I....what an amazing friend
Photo Credit: Jess Polnasek

My sleepy daughter and I at the finish.
Photo Credit: Jess Polnasek

Equipment used during the Race

-Injinji Socks
-Hoka One One Clifton Shoes 
-Under Armour Shorts
-North Face Flight Series Hat
-SPI belt
-Amphipod 12 oz bottle
-Nathan handheld 16 oz bottle
-Original Buff
-Body Glide

Nutrition

-GU, Powerbar, and Huma gels
-Clif Bars
-Nuun Hyrdation Tablets

Yankee Springs Double Marathon

The Yankee Springs Trail Weekend is organized by Switchback Endurance.  The race directors, Kim and Phil do an amazing job.  The race series consists of 3 days worth of races.  Running the 52.4 miler was enough for me, maybe next year I'll try for all 3 days of racing!  The  morning of the race my Dad met me at my house in Battle Creek around 4:15am and we drove up to Yankee Springs recreation area near Middleville, MI which is only about 45 mins away.  We pulled in, walked over to the main cabin and checked in to get the race bib.  I quickly suited up and headed over to the infamous starting area, a volleyball pit.

In a nonchalant manner, Kim counted down "3, 2, 1", and we were off.  About 40 people started the race with only 20 finishers.  I immediately centered myself about 6 or 7 back from the front.  The start of a race is always challenging to get into the "correct" pace.  My basic rule for the day was to try and stay below anaerobic threshold, a.k.a. no super heavy breathing or elevated heart rate.  I only recall 3 times where I had to really tone it down and walk.  Other than that the effort was steady and consistent.  The course requires 4 loops of 13.1 miles each.  The trails at Yankee Springs are spectacular...with lots of varying scenery.  As I came around a corner, a giant turtle was literally taking up the entire trail.  Interesting how seeing an animal on the trail sort of wakes you up and energizes you...not sure why.  For about 50% of the race I was able to run with a couple of different people which I'm always grateful for.

The entire morning and day was SUPER humid.  Bugs were literally flying into me and sticking.  The only issues I had during the race was a couple minutes here and there of dizziness, which I have never experienced.  I think it had something to do with the humidity and that I was somewhat dehydrated.  Fast forward to the last loop, "the farewell tour"!  I was in 3rd place but knew another person wasn't too far behind.  I started having a pity party and walking a lot more than I had the previous 39 miles....I needed a jolt to get me going.  I stopped to try and pee and I saw the guy who was behind me on one of the switchbacks.  That was exactly what I needed, I immediately focused and got on track.  Sometimes it's motivating to have someone chasing you down.

All in all, I ended up finishing in 3rd place with a time of 9 hours 39 mins 57 seconds.  A 40 minute improvement from 2 years ago!  There were literally a small handful of people and my Dad with the video camera at the finish.  No stadium full of fans or people lined up to cheer, which is fine by me.  I run these races to challenge myself both physically and mentally.  My mantra during this race was put on the "HARD HAT" and "GO TO WORK", that blue collar mentality.  It is as simple as that, to pin your ears back and just get it done.  Negative thoughts and feelings have to be set aside.  Stay positive and focus on what really matters.  Get outside and run!

Gear List
Power Bar Gels
Clif Bars
Injinji Socks
SPI belt
Amphipod 12 oz bottle
UA hat
Nike shorts
Nuun electrolyte tablets